


The Owl Prince

by DontGetTooCloseItsDarkInside



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternative Universe-Fantasy, Immortality, M/M, Magic, Royalty, Shapeshifting
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-02-14
Updated: 2015-12-06
Packaged: 2018-03-12 20:31:13
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,056
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3354311
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DontGetTooCloseItsDarkInside/pseuds/DontGetTooCloseItsDarkInside
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Like all the other children in the village Keiji had heard the stories about The Owl Prince who supposedly lived in the Fukurodani forest.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I could think of what time period this would fit in so lets say its a fantasy universe where pretty much anything goes (its fantasy anyway but yeah..just wanted to point that out) anyways i will end my awkward rambling and allow you all to read

Like all the other children in the village, Keiji had heard the stories about The Owl Prince who supposedly lived in the Fukurodani forest. The one with the giant, slopping green trees, its insides always casted in deep, angry shadows no matter what time of day, where shapeshifting humans supposedly lived, living freely and wildly under the Owl Kings reign, many children thought these stories to be terrifying, but others found them immensely entertaining.

Keiji was one of those children. When he first heard of the Owl Prince, he was just a little over two years old. The eldest of his older sisters was cradling him in a cloth blanket and was trying to get him to stop crying, she had wandered far from the village. It was nearing the end of the day and his crying was bothering everyone’s pre-nightly routine and just generally disturbing the peace. Keiji had never really been a bad crier as a child, but when he did cry, he could bring thirty colicky newborns to shame.

“Keiji-chan,” Emiko had said sweetly, rocking him gently as he wailed into her shoulder. “If you stop crying, I’ll tell you a story.” When she had climbed the small hill to get to the field she had seen how close the forest was and she had gotten the idea. After all, Keiji loved stories. 

At first, he did not listen to her and continued to cry, his had fallen off of a tree his youngest elder sister had helped him climb and had landed right on his head, and he hadn’t stopped crying since. But eventually, with more coos and gentle prodding, Emiko got him to quiet down enough for her to tell him the story.

About a Prince who could turn into an owl, which was how he got his name. Prince of the forest, ruling over his subjects, who could turn into animals just like he could, she told him about the battles he had led and won and all the good deeds he had done, and his ‘kingdoms’ rivalry with the other kingdom that lived in the Seijo mountains, that stood proudly beyond the forest. By the end of the small story-because that’s was it was, a small myth that could barely take up an entire page in a book, Keiji was enchanted. 

“Did you like the story, Keiji-chan?” Emiko cooed gently, stroking his loose black curls with her hand. 

Keiji looked up at her with forwarded eyebrows and gently tugged at her long brown hair. “More?” he had muttered his dark eyes alive with the fire he only got when he was introduced into a new world.

Emiko laughed in delight. “There is no more, Keiji, you silly thing.” She was leaning against a tree, one of the long sweeping trees that belonged to the Fukurodani forest right at the edge. If he raised one of his hands high enough he could maybe touch one of the many low branches.

“Owl.” He had corrected loudly instead.

Emiko laughed again, she had beautiful laugh it always made him feel safe and happy. “An owl you say? Okay than, you can be my little Owl if you like.”

Keiji stared at her very seriously before declaring, “Hoot Hoot!” Emiko looked at her brother, trying to keep her laughter in; he was so adorably serious for a child so young. 

“Silly.” Emiko ruffled his hair and then stood up, keeping him set firmly in her arms so he wouldn’t go dive bombing into the forest or something in the search of his recently beloved Owl Prince. She feared that if he ever entered the forest she would never be able to find him again. After all, the forest had a way of letting people in but never allowing them out again. “Time to go home, Keiji-chan, nighttime is coming, don’t you see?” she pointed to the sky and his serious dark eyes followed her. 

It was indeed true, the sky had now taken on a deep indigo, as the sun had already begun to set while she had been telling the story. Keiji nodded his head and Emiko mentally noted that he was also very smart for a child of his age as well as serious, before she begun to walk away.

But stopped. Keiji was leaning his full weight against her chest so reach behind her. She turned and saw her brother’s hand resting against the bark of the tree she had been sitting against, and his eyes were oddly hazed and had a purple light to them-put perhaps that was just the sky reflecting in his eyes. 

As soon as he had touched it, he took his hand back and wrapped his arms around her neck, blinking slowly and yawning.

Yes, definitely just a trick of the light, she decided. And as she walked away, Keiji’s head hung over her shoulder and therefore he was the only one who saw the blur of white and gray that flew up from the trees.  
….

When Keiji was five, the other children in the village came up the story that the Owl Prince stole children in the night from their beds and collected them for his evil army. According to Yuma-his youngest elder sister-this was a trend. Every time a new batch of children reached a certain age the idea of such a thing would go around. 

“What a ridiculous thing to say,” he would say, holding Emiko’s hand as they and Yuma went to the market to buy food for dinner and he heard the other children whispering about it. 

“Children like to make up stories,” Emiko said with a fine air of patience-something she had learned over time with having five younger sisters and one younger brother. She reached out without a word and grabbed Yuma’s hand as well, keeping her in place and ignoring her when she tried to wiggle to freedom. 

“Children are annoying,” Yuma huffed. “’I’m never having any.”

“As you’re a child yourself, that’s a funny thing to say.” Emiko said, gently steering them towards a person selling freshly caught fish. Keiji went without complaint, while Yuma looked ready to bite her sisters hand off so she could run around as she pleased. 

 

“Keiji’s a child, I’m not!” Yuma said furiously, before being hushed by her sister when some elderly people looked at the trio with distaste. 

“I’m a child.” Keiji agreed in a patient voice that much resembled Emiko’s. 

“Keiji is a child,” Emiko said. “He’s five, but you’re also a child, because you’re only nine.”  
“Yeah well…you’re barely an adult!” Yuma said in a poor attempt to win the argument. 

“But still an adult.” Emiko said, before politely calling the seller over and requesting five of the fishes. Emiko let go of Keiji’s hand instead of Yuma’s hand to get the money and he stayed obediently by her side, looking up at the blue sky with interest. As he watched a streak of black overtook his vision of the pure blue and before he knew it the streak was flying down and landing on the table space in front of him. It was perhaps the largest black crow he had ever seen in all his life, it had enormous wings, a strong beak, and its feathers were thick and faintly ruffled. 

“Nice bird,” he whispered, before reaching out and gently touching the top of its head. His eyes widened in surprise when his hand came in contact with it, he didn’t think it would have allowed him to touch it and had mostly expected it to fly off the moment he reached out towards it. But there it stayed, looking at him quite seriously, and under its gaze he had the strange thought of it resembling his father. Which was odd because his father was a human and well-this was a crow. “Nice bird.” He said again, and then jumped when it loudly squawked. The noise got his sisters attention and they both screeched in alarm when they noticed the very small distance between their brothers face and beast’s beak. 

“Keiji get away from that thing!” Yuma yelled, as Emiko grabbed him by the arms and carried him away from the bird, who looked like it could easily pluck the child’s eyes out if it so pleased.

The crow flew away without even flinching from his sister’s loud reaction, sweeping itself into the air with its huge wings and flying its way out of sight, Keiji watched it go until he could no longer see it, ignoring his sisters fussing and concern. 

…..

When it was night and all his sisters and his parents were tucked away into their beds, Keiji rushed from his room and found his sister exactly where he knew he would, knitting him or one of his sisters something in the main room.

“Nee-san,” he said softly, causing her to look up. She smiled a little when she saw him and opened up her arms. He made his way across the room and crawled into her lap, as she put her knitting aside for the moment.  
“Can you tell me the story of the Owl Prince again?” he whispered into her collarbone. Her arms wrapped around him, the sleeves of her night dress were soft and her body heat kept him warm in the cold room. She wore a small frown, dipping her head down so she could meet his eyes. 

“Again?” Emiko asked in a hushed voice, amusement creeping into it. Over the years, her brother must have requested the retelling of the story over a hundred times. And that was just her, she was sure he had also asked all of their five sisters and their parents. 

Keiji nodded solemnly.

Emiko sighed, but it was clear she wasn’t actually annoyed; she tightened her arms around him and balanced her chin on his head so it was cushioned by his soft curls.

“Once upon a time there was a prince….”

….  
“I wonder if the forest will be upset if I take some of its flowers.” 

A few days after meeting his crow friend, Akaashi was seated at the foot of the tree where his sister had told him the story for the first time. Little purple flowers had grown around the stump of the tree, it had a thin light green stem and no leafs, so he supposed they were innocent enough. And they were also very pretty, Emiko might like them. 

“That’s a stupid thing to say, isn’t it?” 

Keiji sighed and turned, today he was too be followed around by another of his older sisters, the one that was the second eldest, Kukiko. She was the least favorite of his sisters-because she didn’t have a very nice personality-but he still loved her of course, she really was not all that bad, she just said rude things sometimes and didn’t have much patience for her younger siblings. 

“Of course not.” Keiji said in his soft voice, running his small fingers over the pale purple petals. “After all, everything in nature has its own life, this forest especially.” He reached up and stroked his and Emiko’s tree with a small half smile.

Kukiko stared at him for a moment, wearing a frown. “That’s a strange thing to say.” 

Keiji didn’t argue with his sister, because he knew he often said weird things no one really understood, and instead wrapped his fingers around the steam were it disappeared into the earth. “I’ll just take one,” he said mostly to himself, “I don’t think the forest will mind all that much then.” He carefully took it so the roots would be left behind and held it gently in his hands. “Thank you,” he said.

“Who are you thanking?” Kukiko asked in exasperation, her foot tapping away underneath the long skirt of her dress. 

Keiji just shrugged his shoulders a little and got to his feet, he walked over to his sister and took her hand, knowing she was getting impatient and wanted to return home, or at least the village, as she wasn’t all too fond of dirt and grass.

“Who will the flower be for?” Kukiko asked as they walked home, taking the long way so the ends of her dress would not be ruined by mud and dirt. 

Keiji twirled the fingers in between his fingers thoughtfully. “I don’t know.” He said softly. He could give it to one of his sisters, or perhaps mother or their grandmother. He thought briefly of giving it to Kukiko as a thank you for taking him out when she clearly hadn’t wanted too, but he knew she wouldn’t like it very much.

When they were returned home, things were strange though. Emiko had a pleasant flush on her face and she was beaming at everyone who met her eyes. Their mother was the same, she kept on touching Emiko, brushing her hands against her shoulders and patting the top of her elegant black hair, which was styled differently then it usually was, and their father was looking at her with a very pleased smile and eyes full of joy.

“I guess it’s all been arranged then,” Kukiko said, and then even she was smiling. But Keiji didn’t smile, he had no idea what was going on, but he had the strange sense that he would not like it. He stood by the door in his muddy shoes and did not take them off, his fist clamped around the tiny flower like it was his lifeline, as a nasty feeling started building up in his chest. 

“Keiji-chan!” Emiko said when she spotted him by the door, she moved towards him quickly, as their parents started to speak with Kukiko about whatever it was that was going on. His eyebrows forwarded, he looking up at his sister, wanting answers, an explanation. 

She crouched in front of him and ran her fingers threw his curls. “I’m going to be married, isn’t that wonderful?”

It was clear by his face that he didn’t not think it was wonderful at all, quite the opposite really in his opinion. His sister was ratting on and on about it, what her soon to be husband’s name was, what he was like, where he was from and the name of his village and how well off his parents were and how beautiful their home supposedly was. Keiji heard all of this, of course, but there was only one thing he could think, one thing that went through his mind over and over again. 

“You’re going to leave me.”

His sister went silent, and her eyes widened. The hand that had been touching his hair fell, and he took a step back from here, that feeling growing in his chest until it felt like it would go up his throat and choke him until he couldn’t get any air. 

“Keiji….no, it’s not like that…” she tried to say, her eyes growing wet. “You won’t be alone, and I’ll come to see you when I can….”

“You’re leaving me.” He shouted, in all his five years of life, this was surely the most horrible thing he had ever gone through, and this was definitely that worst thing any of his family had ever done to him. He was not a fool; he did not believe her lies. He had seen young women in the village be married off to young men in other villages and never been seen again, because then they had a new family. “I hate you!” And in that moment, he really meant it, he felt as if his sister had gotten married just to hurt him. 

He threw open the door and ran away from his home, never wanting to return there. 

He found himself by their tree again, which he hated himself for in that moment. He thought he did not want to be reminded of his sister, but really all he wanted was her. For her to hold him in her arms and tell him all the stories she knew just like she always did before his world was seemingly turned upside down. 

Tears trickled down his cheeks and he was sobbing so loud he thought they might echo off the mountains miles away and come right back towards him. If they did he wouldn’t have noticed, because he felt such pain he thought his chest would rip in two. 

He did not immediately hear the faint pitter patter of little feet because of this. Only becoming aware of the creatures presence when he felt something sharp touch his thigh, he was startled into silence and he looked to see a crow seated on his thigh, looking up at him. It was much like the one he had seen a few days ago in the market, yet he knew it wasn’t, somehow he just did. It was big like the other crow, but not as big, a little smaller, and it looked more elegant and neat, on both its wings it had a thin strip of gray running along the length, which he thought was odd. 

His sobs subdued under its gaze, and he was left to silent tears falling down his cheeks and little hiccups. He reached up to touch it, and noticed he still had the tiny flower in his hand. He then, for some reason, offered it to the crow, who took it in its beak without any prodding, which was staggering. 

“Will you be my friend?” he ridiculously asked it. “I don’t ever want to go home.” 

The crow made a soft noise as not to disturb the flower that laid in its beak, but somehow to Keiji it sounded disapproving. 

“My sister is getting married, and she’s going to live in another village far, far away.” He told it, stroking the top of its head. “And I’ll probably never see her again, so she’s leaving me, but I don’t want her to leave me because she’s-“ he choked on a sob loudly. “My best friend.”  
The crow nuzzled his hand gently, as if it was comforting him, which was impossible really. He doubted the crow knew anything he was saying, and was surprised it hadn’t pecked him to death yet. 

It was then he heard someone yell his name, and just as suddenly the crow flew away, bringing the flower with it.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *walks in almost a year later*
> 
> *ruffles through notes* now....see...i can totally.......*sweats*....the thing is....*throws them down* i have no excuse, im sorry
> 
> also i am aware that some of the animals mentioned in this story are not native to Japan but.....this is kind of a fantasy/folklore story...so i guess anything can happen.

Small attacks on the village happened yearly. They were a tiny village, and even though they had the protection of the forest and of the mountains, some bandits still found them worthy enough to wander in and try to take their share of all the precious things they made and grew in their homelands. 

Normally, Keiji would be locked into the backroom with his sisters and his mother, while his father guarded the house and the rest of the village if it was needed. It would usually be over within a few hours, whatever bandits that had so happened to choose to try to steal from them would be chased away, and Keiji would go and help his family clean up the marketplace with everyone else. 

Keiji sat on his knees besides Yuma, his small hands resting on her quivering shoulders, both of them flinching slightly whenever they heard a bang or a shout. He closed his eyes tight and told himself it would all be over soon, the noises would go away, everything would be fine, it would all go as usual. 

The banging and the shouts did not go quiet. Instead, they grew louder and louder, until they sounded like they were right next to him. He could hear footsteps, and a second later, felt the glass of the window behind him shatter, felt a big, rough hand grab him by the top of his small arm. A unfamiliar, dirty face looked back at him.

His mother wrapped her arms around him and tugged him out of the man's grasp, using all her weight and every ounce of her strength. He hit the floor like a sack of stones as the man climbed through the window and he heard more glass shatter and wood break. He laid there for half a second before Kukiko was yanking him up by the back of his jacket and lifting him up, putting him through the window across the room that had been left open and screaming at him to run away. 

He listened, because he was a good boy and always did what his parents and his sisters told him, and he ran. 

Chaos. 

Screaming and smoke, flames and fighting, blood and crying. 

He turned on his heel and ran towards the only place he always felt safe, towards the forest.

Nighttime had fallen, the sky was purple and black and speckled with spots of golden and silver stars. The forests threw out long shadows down the hill that he ran up, they seemed to go on forever once they hit the tip of his toes and he ran through them. 

At the edge of the forest, standing under the tree that he and Emiko used to sit under before she left, he paused for a second. 

He had never entered the forest before, he had always wanted too, the hanging trees and the chirping of birds and the low mist called to him like a siren's song, but a hand had always pulled him back from doing what he wanted most. 

His hesitation was broken when he heard heavy footsteps and someone laughing coolly after him. 

His chest tightened in panic and fear ran up his spine, his legs moved without his consent and sent him racing down the small path in between two of the trees. The farther he went in the tighter the trees stood together and the harder it was for whoever was chasing him to keep up with him. Their head was caught in the fog while Akaashi’s head was underneath it, giving him a clear view of everything that laid before them. The moon lit up the forest better than he had thought, everything was cast in a weak pearly light. He truly believed that he would be able to lose the man chasing him and be able to hide safely, just like his family had wanted. 

And then he fell. He wasn't expecting the sudden drop in the forests seemingly flat ground. His heart leaped into his throat as he seemed to pause in the air for the briefest of moment before he went crashing all the way down. It was a painful descent, his hair snagged on sharp bushes and rocks and stones dug into his ribs and his head as he fell past, halfway to the bottom he had enough sense to cover his head with both of his hands, leaving the smooth skin there to be torn into. 

Finally he landed on soft grass, he sat up on his shaking hands when he heard cursing and growls, and tried to get up. But before he could he was grabbed around the nape of his neck like a kitten and lifted off the ground, the tips of his booted toes barely brushing the ground. 

The man’s giant face, covered in cuts and scraps, sneered down at him. He screamed so hard his lungs burned and the man’s fist raised, knocking him unconscious with a single hit. 

But before the hand came down, just for a second, he saw a flash of gray. 

….. 

He awoke in his bedroom, his sister’s and his parents gathered around him. 

His mother had a dark purple bruise around all her neck, his father's face was blackened with ash, all of his sisters had scrapes on them, but they were all smiling. 

So it hadn't been a dream then. 

“How did I get home?” Keiji asked them softly, eyes half closed.

His mother reached out and gently stroked his face. “Your papa found you by the forest,” she reached up and touched a part of his forehead that made him hiss. “It seems you fell and knocked yourself out, little one.” 

Keiji opened his mouth to protest, because that’s certainly not how he remembered it happening, he had been probably more than a mile into the forest, there was no way his father had found him outside of it, and what had happened to the man?

His mother hushed him instantly and ran her fingers through his hair. “Rest.” 

….. 

Two years had passed and Keiji never hesitated before going into the forest anymore. Now that he was growing up and more of his sisters were getting married and going to live in other villages Keiji was left to take care of himself more and more often. Every minute that he wasn't studying or doing chores he was in the forest, not that his family knew that, as far as they knew, he was playing with the other kids from school. But that was good, he wanted them to think that, the truth was, Keiji didn't like most of the other kids, they were often very mean and rude, and even if they weren't they didn't have any interest in playing with him. He didn't mind, he liked being alone, alone with his forest and all that was in it. 

Something had protected him in there that night, something had brought him back to his family even when he was sure he was going to die. It was the only place he felt completely safe, not even the warmth of his bed was as comforting as the forest. The feeling of the sun warmed grass under his back, the crinkling of fallen leaves underneath his feet, the softness of flower petals running through his fingers. 

Keiji had probably walked through and ventured every foot of the forest in the last two years. He had climbed up hills and tripped down big slopes, had drank water from the streams and eaten sweet berries right off the bush, had climbed trees and found giant field free of any trees, had discovered creeks and ponds and the river that looked like it went all the way up into the mountains. He saw a lot of animals. Falcons and crows flying high above the trees that lots of tiny squirrels and chipmunks lived in. Foxes and Tanuki’s (1) and badgers and weasels and rabbits, as well as some dangerous predators. During his first week adventuring the forest he had came face to face with a jaguar and was quite sure that he was going to die. But the animal had simply made a face-a face that made him look like he was smirking-and had walked away from him. He never saw it again. 

He had seen all kinds of wild cats and even a bear, but they never bothered him. If they noticed him they either left him alone and went on with their business or walked away. 

It had rained a lot the day before, the ground was slippery and there was lots of mud all over. He made sure to wear his old coat encase he got dirty and his good boots. He had wanted to use the day to write some notes about the plant and wildlife, but the possibility of him losing his notes was too great, so he left the house empty handed. 

He decided to take a walk down by one of the creeks. The air was heavy and moist and the birds were extremely loud, but they made good company on his walk. 

When he turned the corner around a clump of high bushes, he found the familiar bear half way in it, letting out pathetic little noises and struggling wildly. It took him a moment to realize that he was stuck in the mud at the bottom and without thinking he walked towards him. 

The bear stopped its whining once it saw him and noticed just how close it was. The animal had big brown eyes that were filled with anxiety, but were otherwise very soft and warm looking, almost gentle. 

He reached out to touch it, and it flinched. They both stopped and they looked at each other in the eyes. 

“I won't hurt you.” Keiji told him without a thought and this time, when he reached out the bear did not shy away from him. He allowed him to stroke his dirty fur and whined loudly again. 

Keiji hummed and looked at his stuck leg thoughtfully. He wrapped his arms around its leg and pulled. The bear glanced at him. 

“Struggling will make it worse,” he said, even though he knew the bear couldn't actually understand him. Or so he thought. “You have to pull yourself out.”

The bear gave a quick tug and whimpered when it sunk it more.

Keiji shushed it gently and gave its leg a little tug. “Slow.” 

With his soft instructions and as well as his gentle assistance the bear got his leg free, all that was left now was his foot. But no matter how much the bear would pull it wouldn't come out, Keiji tried to tug on it gently as well, but instead it sank back in just enough for the animal to cry out in distress. 

Now, they couldn't have that. He would just get himself stuck again and all of their effort would be for not. He wrapped his arms around his mud covered leg and braced his feet against the creek edge. 

The bear pulled and he pulled, and after a lot of unnecessary screaming from the both of them, the foot emerged with a slopping sound and the bear ran out onto the grass. 

Keiji, on the other hand, fell into the creek face first. He stood up quickly but found himself to be in the same predicament as the bear. 

Who had come back for him, it seemed, as it was standing by the ledge and looking at him. 

It offered him a paw and he didn't give himself time to think about how insane that was, as he was sinking much faster than the bear had been. He draped himself over its paw and shoulder and in a few seconds he was lying on the grass on his back, breathing heavily. 

When he looked up, the bear was gone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (1) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_raccoon_dog
> 
> who's the bear? take a guess if u want 
> 
> imma try to stop being a horrible author and update this baby more

**Author's Note:**

> Happy Valentines Day everybody!


End file.
